Residents fighting proposed annexation by Bensenville

White Pines residents opposed to seeing their neighborhood annexed into Bensenville have formed a group and will hold a Wednesday night meeting to rally support for their cause.

Bensenville has offered to help White Pines replace its aging water delivery system if residents in the large subdivision agree to become village taxpayers.

If an annexation deal is approved, Bensenville will pursue a $7 million project to replace water mains in the neighborhood. A service area would be created to raise money from property owners to help pay for the project.

Still, there are White Pines residents determined to prevent any annexation.

They have created the Save White Pines Committee, which isn't connected to or a part of the homeowners association for White Pines.

"The White Pines Civic Association has called two meetings where they saw that people are opposing the annexation," said Gina Mellenthin, president of the Save White Pines Committee. "But they (homeowners association leaders) are not jumping on the bandwagon. So we went off on our own to try to stop the annexation."

To inform residents from White Pines and other unincorporated areas near Bensenville about the situation, the committee is hosting a meeting 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the auditorium of Blackhawk Junior High, 250 S. Church Road, Bensenville.

Bensenville residents also are invited to participate.

Mellenthin said she's hoping a large crowd attends Wednesday night because there's power in numbers. She also wants to gather signatures for a petition she plans to send to state and federal lawmakers.

"If you go in with two people and ask for something, they look at you and think about it," Mellenthin said. "If you go in with 400 people, it's different. You make a different noise."

Some say the annexation offer is an attempt to get the project done in a way that's mutually beneficial for White Pines and the village.

An annexation of White Pines would increase the residential tax base for Bensenville, which lost hundreds of homes to O'Hare International Airport expansion.

Still, White Pines residents such as Mellenthin want to find ways to both replace the water system and keep the subdivision unincorporated.

According to the committee, its members are researching alternatives to complete replacement of water system. They also are exploring whether it's possible to get grants or low-interest loans for the project from the state and federal government or other sources.

"We have reached out to the state," Mellenthin said. "But because we have a new governor ... things are kind of tied up right now. We'll see what happens."

Meanwhile, Bensenville trustees must decide by May whether to pursue the water main replacement because the village is hoping to finalize a low-interest loan for the project.